Gre Deck 3

Front 1

Apathy

Back 1

noun: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

Widespread apathy among voters led to a very small turnout on election day

Front 2

eclectic

Back 2

adjective: comprised of a variety of styles

Joey was known for his eclectic tastes in music, one moment dancing to disco the next "air conducting" along to Beethoven's 9th symphony.

Front 3

languid

Back 3

adjective: not inclined towards physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed

As the sun beat down and the temperature climbed higher, we spent alanguid week lying around the house

Front 4

fallacious

Back 4

adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning

The widespread belief that Eskimos have forty different words for snow isfallacious, based on one false report.

Front 5

immutable

Back 5

adjective: not able to be changed

Taxes are one of the immutable laws of the land, so there is no use arguing about paying them.

Front 6

quotidian

Back 6

adjective: found in the ordinary course of events

Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle's arguments that he totally forgets quotidian concerns, such as exercising and eating regularly.

Front 7

mollify

Back 7

verb: to make someone angry less angry; placate

In the morning, Janine was unable tomollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he'd had his cup of coffee.

syn: placate

Front 8

magnanimous

Back 8

adjective: noble and generous in spirit, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful

He was a great sportsman: in defeat he was complimentary and in victory he was magnanimous

Front 9

panache

Back 9

noun: distinctive and showy elegance

Jim, with his typical panache, came to the wedding reception with a top hat and cane

Front 10

rudimentary

Back 10

adjective: being in the earliest stages of development; being or involving basic facts or principles

I would love to be able to present a fully polished proposal to the board, but right now, our plans for the product are still in the most rudimentary stages

Front 11

ascetic

Back 11

adjective: practicing self-denial

His ascetic life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty.

noun: one who practices great self-denial

Historically, ascetics like Gandhi are often considered wise men partially because of their restraint.

Front 12

unequivocal

Back 12

adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion

The President's first statement on the subject was vague and open to competing interpretations, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was careful to make his position completely unequivocal.

Front 13

incongruous

Back 13

adjective: lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness

The vast economic inequality of modern society is incongruous with America's ideals.

Front 14

treacherous

Back 14

adjective: tending to betray

Even though Jesse James was an outlaw, his killer, Robert Ford, is remembered more for his treacherous actions than for eliminating a criminal and murder.

adjective: dangerously unstable and unpredictable

The bridge built from twine and vine istreacherous to walk across, and so I think I will stay put right here

syn: perfidy / ant: reticent

Front 15

circumvent

Back 15

verb: cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations

One way of circumventing the GRE is to apply to a grad school that does not require GRE scores

syn: ploy

Front 16

tantamount

Back 16

adjective: being essentially equal to something

In many situations, remaining silent istantamount to admitting guilt, so speak to prove your innocence.

Front 17

spurious

Back 17

adjective: plausible but false

When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones

Front 18

juxtapose

Back 18

verb: place side by side for contrast

The appeal of her paintings comes from a classical style which is juxtaposedwith modern themes

Front 19

elucidate

Back 19

verb: make clearer and easier to understand

Youtube is great place to learn just about anything--an expert elucidates finer points so that even a complete novice can learn.
syn: explicitly, lucid, pellucid
erudite: recondite, obscure, abstruse

Front 20

subsume

Back 20

verb: contain or include

The rogue wave quickly subsumed the pier and boardwalk, destroying everything in its path.

verb: consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle

Don Quixote of La Mancha subsumesall other modern novels, demonstrating modern literary devices and predating even the idea of a postmodern, metanarrative

l

Front 21

eminent

Back 21

adjective: standing above others in quality or position

Shakespeare is an eminent author in the English language, but I find his writing uninteresting and melodramatic.

Front 22

derivative

Back 22

adjective: not original but drawing strongly on something already in existence, especially in reference to a creative product (e.g. music, writing, poetry etc.).

Because the movies were utterlyderivative of other popular movies, they did well at the box office.

Front 23

jingoism

Back 23

noun: fanatical patriotism

North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of jingoism and cult of personality.

Front 24

haughty

Back 24

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

The haughty manager didn't believe that any of his subordinates could ever have an insight as brilliant as his own.

Front 25

abstain

Back 25

verb: choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable)

Considered a health nut, Jessicaabstained from anything containing sugar--even chocolate.

Front 26

tenacious

Back 26

adjective: stubbornly unyielding

Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present

Front 27

ephemeral

Back 27

adjective: lasting a very short time

The lifespan of a mayfly is ephemeral, lasting from a few hours to a couple of days.

Front 28

belligerent

Back 28

adjective: characteristic of one eager to fight

Tom said that he was arguing the matter purely for philosophical reasons, but his belligerent tone indicated an underlying anger about the issue.

Front 29

negligible

Back 29

adjective: so small as to be meaningless; insignificant

The GRE tests cumulative knowledge, so if you cram the night before it is, at best, likely to only have a negligible impact on your score.

Front 30

travesty

Back 30

noun: an absurd presentation of something; a mockery

What I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.

Front 31

itinerant

Back 31

adjective: traveling from place to place to work

Doctors used to be itinerant, traveling between patients' homes.

Front 32

vehement

Back 32

adjective: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions

While the other employees responded to the bad news in a measured way, Andrew responded in a vehementmanner, tipping over his desk and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Front 33

insidious

Back 33

adjective: working in a subtle but destructive way

Plaque is insidious: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.

Front 34

supplant

Back 34

verb: take the place or move into the position of

For many, a cell phone has supplanteda traditional phone; in fact, most 20-somethings don't even have a traditional phone anymore.

Front 35

precocious

Back 35

adjective: characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)

Though only seven years old, she was aprecocious chess prodigy, able to beat players twice her age.

Front 36

refractory

Back 36

adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control

Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for therefractory Kindergarteners who neither sat still nor listened to a single word she said.

Front 37

disaffected

Back 37

adjective: discontented as toward authority

After watching his superior take rations from the soldiers, he quickly becamedisaffected and rebelled

syn : refractory

Front 38

contrive

Back 38

verb: to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery

Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation

syn : ploy , circumvent

Front 39

frustrate

Back 39

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of

I thought I would finish writing the paper by lunchtime, but a number of urgent interruptions served to frustrate my plan

syn: impede, thwart.

Front 40

delineate

Back 40

verb: describe in detail

After a brief summary of proper swimming technique, the coachdelineated the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 minutes alone on the backstroke.

Front 41

guileless

Back 41

adjective: free of deceit

At first I thought my niece wasguileless, but I then found myself buying her ice cream every time we passed a shop.

Front 42

jubliant

Back 42

adjective: full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success

My hardwork paid off, and I was jubilant a to receive a perfect score on the GRE.

Front 43

ameliorate

Back 43

verb: make something bad better

"Three Cups of Tea" tells the story of western man who hopes to ameliorate poverty and the lack of education in Afghanistan.

syn: assuage

Front 44

staunch

Back 44

adjective: firm and dependable especially in loyalty

No longer a staunch supporter of the movement, Todd now will openly question whether its goals are worthwhile

Front 45

forlorn

Back 45

adjective: marked by or showing hopelessness

After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy.

Front 46

heretic

Back 46

noun: a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion)

Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse

syn: apostate

Front 47

vilify

Back 47

verb: spread negative information about

Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to vilify Todd

syn: calumny, belie

Front 48

avaricious

Back 48

adjective: excessively greedy

Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust--sins of excess--it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.

Front 49

hubris

Back 49

noun: Excessive pride, presumption or arrogance (originally toward the gods)
syn: haughty, presumptuous, disdainful, condescending